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So! I'm originally from Long Island, NY. I live in Columbus, Ohio with my Floridian boyfriend whom I met in Tennessee. He bristled when he heard me say "on line," a New York regionalism featured on this program. Our friend Cary (from North Carolina), also in an uproar said, "I'll bet you say 'shut the lights' too!"
Well, this was even worse than "on line." Hysterics ensued. I don't see why. You "fermer" stuff in French, and that "off" in "shut off" is so dang perfunctory.
Do YOU say "shut the lights?" Where are you from?
No, I don't say, "open the lights," and I certainly don't say "close the lights." Anathema. Blegh.
Haha, got it. Both my sister and my boyfriend went to UPenn (one undergrad, and one MD/PhD); both came back dropping "jawn" everywhere. It seems like a catchall object like "thing" or "joint" but it's also used to reference women (a la "I tried to kick it to this bajan jawn I met at the club last night") so it seems also more broad than "thing."
I would love to know where it came from but haven't been able to find a suitable answer anywhere, .
When I met my husband, he, his two brothers and his Italian immigrant parents all said open the lights, and close the lights. But this basically applied to anything you would turn off and on. I've asked them about this, and what I've been told, the phrases in Italian, which I forget at the moment, translate directly to open and close the lights, hence the saying.
Edit: Where this really confused me and I think prompted me to ask was when they would say "open the stove and close the stove" even though nothing was being put in the oven. But they say close the lights, close the stove, close the tv, close the radio, etc.
As far as "cut the lights" I've only heard this phrase used during my days in live performance theater. For whatever reason instead of turn off the stage lights and turn on the work lights, they would always say "cut the stage lights and turn on the work lights."
TheChamberlain said:
As far as "cut the lights" I've only heard this phrase used during my days in live performance theater. For whatever reason instead of turn off the stage lights and turn on the work lights, they would always say "cut the stage lights and turn on the work lights."
For stage lighting, "cut the lights" seems to be in contrast to "fade the lights" or "bring down the lights," and it seems generally to be used not so much as a stage direction for part of the performance, but as part of the back-to-reality functioning of the theater, as "Cut the lights and hit the work lights; lets fix that door stage right." As a rehearsal stage direction the command would likely be "Blackout." That's my experience, at any rate.
Peter
And welcome!
Where I grew up in the Midwest it was always "turn off the lights" or "shut off the lights." "Shut the lights," which I really don't recall ever hearing, just seems to be lacking a needed adverb. Of course, the meaning is still clear.
Here in AZ, where many people are amateur astronomers, I more often hear "kill the lights." This being the somewhat aggressive response to someone showing up with a bright flashlight in a location where hobbyists are observing through telescopes. Such an intrusion of photons messes up the eyes' dark adaptation. Takes 10-15 minutes to fully recover.
This expression seems to have become the norm, at least in the astronomy circle I hang with. Even when referring to interior lights.
Maybe if you really angered some astronomer they'd say "off the lights." But I try not to anger those types. On one occasion, I did "off a streetlight" that was interfering with astronomy from my back yard. Had a great dark sky view for about 2 weeks until a city crew replaced the bulb. Perhaps, as Tromboniator suggests, I should have literally "brought down the light," but that would've taken more than just a BB gun.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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